Lucy's Back!
by StoryWriter369
Summary: AU: After nine years, Lucy comes back to Magnolia, Fiore from America. She attends Fairy Tail Academy. It's been nine years since she's last seen her best friends. Have things changed? There are ups and downs, but Lucy...well, she's with her friends, isn't she? She'll be okay. [HINTS OF NALU AND GRAYLU.] [UNDER CONSTRUCTION.]
1. Chapter 1: Lucy's Back

_**Chapter One: Lucy's Back**_

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_**Disclaimer**__**:**__** I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL! ~(sadly)~**_

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Normal POV

Lucy stared out the plane window restlessly. Finally, after nine years, she was returning home.

And she couldn't wait.

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_~ Nine Years Ago ~_

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_Lucy was at a playground with her best friends — Natsu, Erza, and Gray. She was seven years old at the time. The three of them were older than her. She sat out from the games they'd usually play, not in the mood. Lucy was upset and wanted to cry, but not in front of her friends. They all noticed. They'd all known each other for three years, so they were friends since she was four years old._

_"Luce, what's wrong?" Natsu asked her, dropping onto the floor to sit in front of her._

_"Yeah, Luce, what's wrong? You've been gloomy all day!" Gray said, copying him._

_Natsu's eyebrow twitched as he yelled, "Stop copying me, Stripper! Put on some clothes, too!"_

_"Eh?! When did that happen?!" Gray screeched, fumbling for his clothing hurriedly._

_"Stop fighting you two!" Erza shouted, taking a seat next to the two and glaring menacingly._

_Natsu and Gray saluted, "Aye, Sir! I mean, 'ma'am'!" Erza nodded in approval._

_Lucy giggled with a tinge of sadness. "I'm gonna miss you guys…" she said quietly._

_"What do you mean by that, Luce?!" Natsu and Gray asked loudly, worriedly, not noticing they said the same thing at the same time._

_The blond smiled, trying not to worry them, and answered sadly, "My daddy said Mommy and I have to move to America because of his job. We have to stay there for nine years…I'm going to miss you guys!"_

_Erza, Natsu, and Gray stared at her in shock. After what seemed like eternity, Erza asked softly, "When are you moving?"_

_"In exactly six weeks, but it's okay. I'm coming back after nine years," she replied, forcing herself not to cry in front of them._

_"Luce… Don't try to hide the fact that you're sad. We're your best friends, so you can cry in front of us… And nine years is a long time to wait," Gray stated, his voice shaking. He gave her a grin and joked, "We'd be hurt if you didn't cry, actually."_

_That was when she started to cry into her hands. "I...I don't want to go!" she wailed, tears dripping onto the ground. The three inched towards her and pulled her into a warm, comforting hug._

_"We should make the most of our six weeks together. We should spend as much time we can together, too!" Erza decided. Lucy's tears were subsiding as she pulled away from the group hug._

_"Thanks," she whispered through tears._

_The three smiled at her fondly. "Let's go play, Luce!" Gray and Natsu shouted, pulling her up from the ground. They started to run and dragged her along, Erza on their heels._

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_~ Six Weeks Later ~_

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_Erza, Gray, and Natsu planned a party for Lucy's departure. There was ice cream, milkshakes, candy, balloons, streamers, and a huge decorative sign that said, "We'll Miss You, Luce!" She smiled, knowing that Natsu and Gray made it, being the only two who called her "Luce"._

_After the party, Lucy had to leave. She remember the sad tears her best friends cried._

_"I'm gonna miss you, Luce," Natsu stated, hugging her tightly at the airport. He hugged her for what seemed like eternity, then he let go._

_"We're all gonna miss you, Luce," Gray corrected, pulling the blond into a tight and warm hug. Again, after what seemed like eternity, he let go of me. He smiled fondly and ruffled her hair. She didn't complain._

_"Goodbye, Lucy. See you in nine years," Erza told her. Lucy smiled and hugged her tightly._

_When she pulled away, she looked at all of them, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Promise me that we'll never forget each other, that you'll still be here by the time I get back!" Lucy said determinedly._

_Gray raised an eyebrow. "You're always crying Lucy, and you shouldn't." He shared a small smile with the others. "After all, how would we forget you?"_

_They had a group hug before Lucy's father said, "It's time to go, Lucy." She nodded at him._

_"Goodbye, everyone! I'll miss you!" Lucy cried._

_"We'll miss you too, Lucy! Remember us!" they shouted as she walked away. She waved at them all as she got onto the plane._

_On the plane, Lucy looked out the window to see her friends waving at the plane. She smiled lightly and murmured, "Bye, everyone… See you in nine years…"_

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_End of Flashback_

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The plane landed and Lucy took out her luggage from its compartment. She dragged her two suitcases and her knapsack off the plane. She felt so happy…_ It was good to be back._

When Lucy got off the plane, she stopped walking. She stood there, with tears silently falling from brown orbs, and muttered, "… I'm back, guys…And I can't wait to see you!" A grin broke out onto her face.

At the thought of seeing her friends again, she began to speed up her walking pace, then began to jog. Soon, she was full out running, feet pounding the the ground.

_No, wait..._ Lucy thought. _I _am_ home._

_And it felt great._


	2. Chapter 2: Lucy!

Chapter 2: Lucy!

**Disclaimer:**** I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL!~(sadly)~**

_Previously_

"_No…Wait…" I thought. "I am home."_

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Gray's POV

It was October 14. I stared at the picture in my wallet at my locker. I smiled wistfully at the girl in the picture as I remembered the day the photo was taken. Ten years ago, when I was 7 years old and she was 6 years old…

_Flashback_

"_Gway! Smile already!"My golden-haired friend begged cutely, sitting on my lap in the grass and facing me, stretching my cheeks,. We were at Rainbow Sakura Park. Flame-Brain and Erza couldn't come, so it was just me and the girl._

"_Shtop itsh, Luce!" I exclaimed, trying to making her stop stretching my cheeks-and failing._

"_But I wanna see you smile!" She whined, still stretching my cheeks._

"_Pweashe shtop!" I complain._

"_Pwease, Gway? I just wanna take a picture of you smiling!" Lucy used her puppy-dog eyes. _

"_Then shtop itsh!" I told her, trying not to blush at her antics._

"_Yay!" Lucy cheered and she stopped her pulling on my cheeks. I rubbed them._

"_You pull hard," I grumbled. Lucy just giggled, still on my lap and turned around on it._

"_Mommy! Come take a picture of me and Gray!" My six-year old best fried shouted to her mom._

"_Okay, sweetie!" Her mom said, pulling out her favorite film camera from her bag. "Say 'cheese'!"_

_I smiled and Lucy grinned, laying against my chest. "Cheese!" We chorused. The camera flashed twice and Lucy crawled off my lap._

"_Lemme see, mommy!" Lucy yelled, running to her mom. I got up and followed her._

_Her mom was showing two photos of us. She handed me one and once I saw it, I smiled._

"_I took an extra so you could bring it home, Gray. One for us and one for you," Lucy's mom explained. I nodded at her, smiling. Lucy saw and started to hop around me._

"_Mommy! Did you see that?! Gray smiled without me asking to!" Lucy cheered. Her mother laughed and so did I. Her antics were so silly._

"_Let's play tag, Gray!" Lucy said suddenly. She started to run around a huge Sakura tree. I shoved the photo in the pocket of my jeans, making sure I didn't bend it. I chased after Lucy, who was giggling._

"_Try to catch me!" Lucy giggled. I grinned and sped up. She squealed and continue running. I laughed. _

_End of Flashback_

"_I miss you, Luce…It's been nine years. Where are you?_" I wondered. I closed my wallet and opened my locker, which was filled with pictures of Erza, Pinky, Luce, and I. I smiled. My whole locker was decorated like this…Of our memories together.

I shoved my jacket in the locker, making sure not to rip the photos and shut it with the spin of the dial. I turned to find Flame-Brain and Erza walking towards me. Something was going on-And I could tell it was making them happy. It was easy to tell due to the pink-haired grinning idiot and the scarlet-haired girl who was smiling widely.

Once they got here, I asked, "Why so happy?"

"Well, Erza-" The idiot started until he was hit on the head by the scarlet-haired girl who said, "I'm gonna tell him!" For once, I actually felt bad for Flame-Brain as he nodded, a little dizzy.

"Okay! There's a new girl coming! And-" Erza started to explain.

"And it's been nine years!" I snapped my fingers as I figured it out, interrupting the Student Council's President in the process. Surprise, she wasn't mad.

"Yeah! I mean, it's been nine years, and Luce _promised_ us she'd be back! I can't wait to see her!" Pinky cheered. I rolled my eyes, but really, I was happy too.

"Hope, guys. Hope she comes today," I said. They nodded and Flame-Brain grinned like an idiot.

"Let's go to class!" Erza ordered us, starting to walk in the direction of our homeroom with Gildarts. We followed her to the classroom.

As we walk in, I can hear boys whispering things like, "I heard a new student is coming today. I hope it's a girl" and girls squealing, "I hope a hot guy is the new student!" I rolled my eyes. Everyone was so noisy.

Erza sat in her seat, which was in front of mine. Pinky sat in the seat next to mine, which was unfortunately his real seat. I sat at my seat, which was two seats away from the window. A thought occurs to me and I decide to ask it.

"Oi, Erza. How come you don't know the student's name?" I asked her, knowing that Makarov, our principal, would have told her.

"Well, Makarov told me that the new student wanted to keep her identity confidential until she came here, so I wasn't informed of her name…But the look on his face told me he knew. He only told me that the girl was having all the same classes with us," Erza shrugged.

I nodded an turned away to look out the window. I wasn't next to it, but it was in my range of sight. For a moment, I thought I saw a man in black looking through the window. When I blinked, he was gone so I shrugged it off.

"Okay! Shut up, brats! We've got a new student today, so I want you to be nice to her," Gildarts announced. The guys, except Flame-Brain and I, cheered, happy it was a girl.

"Shut up, brats!" Gildarts shouted. Everyone quieted down-a new record.

The door flew open and a girl came in, a shy smile on her face. My eyes widened. The girl had golden-colored hair, her hair in a high, side ponytail, she was wearing the academy uniform, her eyes were chocolate-brown, and-most importantly-she resembled…

I hopped out of my seat at the same time as Natsu-Oh shit, I called him his actual name-and ran to the front of the room. We both shouted, "Lucy! You're back!" Lucy turned to us, and when she saw us, her smile turned into a bright grin.

"Natsu, Gray!" Lucy yelled. I hugged her and picked her up, spun her around about 5 times until I put her down on her feet. That's when the pink-haired idiot did the same thing and a tick mark appeared on my forehead, anime style.

Once Natsu put her down, Lucy hugged the both us by our necks and said, "It's so good to see you again!"

"Hell yeah!" Natsu and I yelled in happiness.

"Ahem," Gildarts said. I blushed a faint pink while Pinky continued to grin like an idiot.

"Sit down," Gildarts ordered us.

"Aw! C'mon Jii-chan! It's been nine years since we've seen her. Give us a break!" Natsu complained, pouting.

"I'm not that old!" Gildarts said, exasperated. I smirked. It was funny when this happened.

"You know what? Just introduce yourself so the two idiots will sit down," Gildarts decided.

"Hey! I'm not the idiot, Flame-Brain is!" I yelled at Gildarts, annoyed.

"Yeah! I-Wait, what?! I'm not the idiot! Stripper here is!" Squinty-Eyes retorted. I hit him on the head and he started to glare at me.

We almost broke into a fight, but someone's laugh distracted us. It was Lucy. "You guys never change, do you?" Lucy giggled. I shrugged and aimed my gaze at the floor.

Lucy turned to face the classroom and introduced herself. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I am sixteen years old. Please don't be mean to me."

I heard a girl mutter to her friend, "She's probably a whore. I mean- " Lucy heard and I could see her smile immediately fall.

"Urusai! If you're gonna insult my best friend, you might as well do it somewhere I can't hear you," I snarled at the two.

"Gomennasai, Gray-san," They mumbled.

I scowled angrily at them. "You should apologize to my friend. I don't look like Lucy, do I?" Lucy started to smile again and I felt a rush of relief. I didn't like it when she was sad.

"Gomennasai, Lucy," They murmured.

"It's okay," Lucy said, halfheartedly.

"Lucy…" A voice said. We looked up to see a crying Erza. I didn't notice she was standing there.

"Okay! Due to the fact there's a new student, there will be free time during mathematics and the rest of homeroom," Gildarts announced lazily. The class cheered loudly and started to talk. Gildarts, for one, fell asleep.

"Erza!" Lucy cheered, running over to Erza and hugging her. Erza wasn't exactly the hugging type, but when she did hug you, she must really care for you…I guess.

"Lucy! I missed you so much!" Erza cried-surprisingly-and gave her a bone crushing hug.

A few seconds later, Lucy gasped, "I can't breathe, Erza…You're killing me." Erza let go quickly and Lucy gasped for air, due to the lack of oxygen.

"It's good see you too, Erza…All three of you," Lucy smiled once she caught her breath.

"It's been nine years, Luce! I'm so happy to see you! After school, let's hang out-Just me and you!" The pink-haired idiot shouted, hyper.

"Oi! She can't only hang out with you, baka! We're her best friends too!" I protested, a tick mark appearing on my forehead. He only pouted and looked at the ground like a child.

"Kawaii! Natsu, you're so cute sometimes!" Lucy stretched the idiots cheeks, making me remember the memory I had at my locker. I smiled unconsciously.

"Gway smiled!" Lucy gasped, sarcastically and dramatically.

I ruffled her hair and she pouted. "You remember you said that to me when you were six and I was seven?" Lucy nodded cutely. Natsu-oh no…I called him by his name again-and Erza looked at us in confusion.

"It was the day you guys couldn't come with Luce and I to the Rainbow Sakura Park," I explained, earning a nod from Erza. She remembered. Flame-Brain, on the other hand, still looked at us in confusion.

"Never mind, you baka," I smirked at him.

"Shut up, Popsicle!" He told me, and I continued smirking at him.

Lucy shakes her head from side-to-side and said, "You guys never change."

The idiot and I shrugged. Erza hugged Lucy again. "Group hug!" Lucy cheered. I grinned and so did the pink-haired idiot. We walked over and hugged Lucy.

"After school, you wanna go somewhere with us? We wanna know what happened the past nine years," I whispered in her ear. She nodded and leaned against me.

It was good to have her back, just great.


	3. Chapter 3: The Past Nine Years For Us

Chapter 3: The Past Nine Years For Us

**Disclaimer:**** I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL!~(sadly)~**

_Previously_

_It was good to have her back, just great. _

Natsu's POV

I couldn't believe Lucy's back! I missed her so much! We broke the group hug and I bounced up and down, saying, "Sit next to me!"

"Idiot! Gajeel sits next to you!" Stripper insulted me.

"Oh…I forgot," I sulked, not realizing his insult. Lucy giggled.

"You can sit next to me, Luce. The seat next to the window is empty," The raven-haired asshole offered my best friend.

"Sure, Gray," Lucy accepted his offer. My blood began to boil, but I don't know why. It felt familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it. An annoyed look appeared on my face.

"What, Flame-Brain? Jealous?" Ice cube teased.

"Why would I be jealous?" I asked dumbly. Stripper face-palmed himself and Lucy laughed.

"Yup. Things don't change," Lucy said.

"You mean his stupidity?" Popsicle snickered. Lucy giggled again. "You know…Natsu was a lot smarter when he was a kid. Now, he's just plain stupid."

"Shut up, Stripper!" I yelled, annoyed.

"That's not my name Squinty-Eyes!" Droop-Eyes shouted, starting to take off his clothes.

"Eep! Gray, put your clothes back on!" Lucy exclaimed. Stripper started to find his clothes.

Once he found them-and put them back on-he said, "C'mon, Luce. Let's go to our seats." Lucy nodded and followed Droopy-Eyes as he walked towards our seats. Erza and I followed too.

Lucy sat in the seat next to the window, Stripper sat next to her-his usual seat-, Erza sat in front of him and turned her seat around to face us, and I sat next to the raven-haired asshole.

"Hey, guys. Tell me what's happened these nine years I've been gone," Lucy requested.

Normal POV

"Well…From the beginning, after you left?" Gray asked Lucy.

"You can start anytime, Gray," Lucy said. Gray nodded.

_Flashback_

_Gray, Erza, and Natsu remembered the day Lucy left. They wouldn't come out of their rooms (separate homes) for about a month before actually letting someone in. Gray wouldn't talk to anyone but Erza, and yes, even Natsu. It was the same for all them. All three of them remembered._

_They were the only three who were best friends with Lucy. It made them really upset. They would go to each other's homes, not to talk, just to comfort each other when they felt like they'd break down any moment. It was the best comfort they could get. Their families tried to help, only to fail. They've never experienced this before, so they'd never understand how the trio felt._

**(A/N:Until further notice, these parts weren't told to Lucy. Just extra information for the readers)**. _Gray felt like someone had taken half of his heart away. Natsu felt the same. The two didn't understand the feeling, after all, they were only eight years old. For about a year, Natsu and Gray were nice to each other-No fighting, insulting, shouting at each other, and arguments. It was really a mystery to everyone else. One day, they went to Rainbow Sakura Park and sat on a park bench._

"_Oi, Natsu. What's that feeling? You've tried finding out, right?" Gray asked. Natsu nodded in response._

"_What do you think it is? Why do you think we feel so…Sad? Heartbroken, maybe?" Gray wondered._

"_Well, I really don't know…It's all mumbo-jumbo to me," Natsu replied._

"_Well, I think I know why you're feeling like that! But, I wanna hear it from you guys!" A girl's voice said. They whipped their heads around to see an eight-year old girl with white hair in a ponytail, blue eyes, purple clothing, and a skull on her shirt._

"_Um…What?" Natsu asked.._

"_I said to tell me when this started to happen. Like, when you started to feel 'heartbroken' and 'sad'," The girl said._

"_Wait…What's your name?" Gray asked her._

"_I'm Mirajane Strauss. You are Gray…" She hinted._

"_Fullbuster. He's Dragneel," Gray told her, jerking his thumb at Natsu when he said the pink-haired boy's name._

"_Okay. Now tell me," Mirajane urged them. She seemed nice, so they explained when it started to happen. One boy or the other would add an extra detail from time to time._

_Once they finished, Mira explained, "After hearing this, I think I know why. My theory is that you guys liked-or maybe loved-the girl named 'Lucy'."_

_The two boys' jaws dropped. "B-But that's impossible! We're only her best friends!" Gray said. "Boys…Are such idiots," Mira muttered, Natsu and Gray not hearing her._

"_Guys, let me ask a few questions to clarify. What do you feel when you're around Lucy? When she left?" Mira questioned._

_Natsu and Gray looked at each other and answered simultaneously, "We feel warm inside, like a fire is burning inside. When she left, we kept feeling a throbbing pain in our chest." They, of course, told each other the same things before._

"_Yeah, I think you guys might've loved her…Maybe liked," Mira confirmed. "Well, bye! If you need more advice, come here on Sundays in the afternoon!" Mira ran away, out of the park, leaving a trail of dust behind._

**(A/N:These next parts are told to Lucy). **_So, after two years (the three were now in sixth grade), they went to middle school. They met Gajeel, Lyon, Juvia (aka Stalker Alert to Gray), Levy, Jellal, Siegrain, Mystogan, Lisanna (Mira's sister), and Elfman (Mira's older brother). Meeting them helped Erza, Gray, and Natsu with the Lucy situation. It helped them move on, but not fully. They had faith that their friend would come back in nine years._

_Natsu got Happy, a blue cat of an unknown species. Gray was given a cross necklace on his tenth birthday. Erza was allowed to take kendo, tae kwon do, karate, kung fu, and sword fighting lessons. It somehow, in their own ways, helped the three get their minds off of things._

_For high school, they went to Fairy Tail Academy. Somehow, Gajeel, Levy, Juvia, Lyon, Jellal, Siegrain, Mystogan, Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman got into the same school. It was their second year there when they heard on October 14 that a new student was here. Lucy, the new student of Fairy Tail Academy, told Makarov to keep it a surprise _**(That sentence was added by Lucy)**.

_End of Flashback_

"And that's the simplest and shortest version of what happened these past nine years," Gray finished. Lucy nodded.

"While I was at Rome, I actually saw Erza on TV for a sword fighting tournament," Lucy informed them. "I cheered like a madwoman. I also got gifts for you guys, too. After I saw Erza on TV, I decided that I wanted to give you guys something once I got back."

"What did you get us?" Natsu asked excitedly.

"First, Erza's present. I got you"-Lucy started to take some things out of her backpack-"A strawberry cupcake before I went on the plane"-Lucy handed a cupcake to Erza-"and a sword that can shrink and grow back by the push of a button!" Lucy took out the sword and she pressed a button, making it extend.

"Oh my god…" Gray mumbled.

"Rome has a good weapon armory," Lucy said, handing Erza the sword, but not after shrinking it back.

"Wow, Lucy! This is so cool!" Erza exclaimed, putting away the retractable sword in her book bag. Then, she started to unwrap her cupcake and taking a huge bite out of it. "Mm…This is good, Lucy! Arigatou!"

"You're welcome," Lucy said in response.

"What did you get for me?" Natsu asked excitedly.

"Natsu, I got you a chocolate cupcake"-Lucy handed him a chocolate cupcake and he started to unwrap it automatically-"And a bag of free buffet coupons" Lucy handed him a bag full of buffet coupons.

"Thanksh, Luce!" Natsu said, taking the bag, his voice muffled.

"Well, when we were kids you _loved _to eat," Lucy recalled. Natsu nodded, stuffing the whole cupcake in his mouth and putting away the coupons.

"Gray, I got you a box of ice cream and a vanilla cupcake"-Lucy handed the spoken person the items-"And a necklace with a black sword and sapphire in the center." Lucy handed the necklace to Gray, who's eyes widened. He remembered seeing this on his TV.

"That's cool. Thanks, Luce!" Gray told her. She smiled in response. Gray put the box of ice cream in his backpack and the cupcake in his lunch bag.

Lucy closed her backpack and the bell rang. "You guys know that I have all classes with you, right? Except the last class. I chose writing class."

"Yeah, we know. And I think Gray's with you…" Erza said, standing up from her seat. Gray looked at the ground and got up, along with Lucy and Natsu.

"Really? What does Gray do in writing?" Lucy asked.

"He specializes in poems," Erza informed her friend.

"Nice. I specialize in story writing," Lucy said. They all started to walk out of the homeroom class.

"Hey, guys. What class do we have next? Makarov told me he didn't have my schedule. He's gonna give it to me tomorrow," Lucy asked.

"Next we have Physical Education with Scorpio," Gray answered. Lucy nodded.

They walked to Physical Education in silence, but not in an awkward one. It just felt nice to have the fourth person of their childhood group back.

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**What did you think of this chapter, minna? Read and Review, please! It motivates me to write faster!**

**Also, when/if you review, please vote what you want this fanfiction to be-NaLu or GrayLu! I personally like GrayLu best, but I'm pairing Lucy up with Gray or Natsu based on your votes!**

**Please vote, minna! Arigatou! Ja'ne! **


	4. Chapter 4: The Past Nine Years For Me

Chapter 4: The Past Nine Years For Me

**Disclaimer:**** I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL!~(sadly)~**

**Heh. Sorry for the delay. Somehow, the teachers wanted to stop me from updating during the weekdays and gave more homework than usual…Sorry, again! I'll try to update faster…Stupid homework…**

* * *

_Previously_

_They walked to Physical Education in silence, but not in an awkward one. It just felt nice to have the fourth person of their childhood group back._

* * *

Normal POV

"Damn…I'm…So…Tired…" Lucy paused after every word. They had just finished running 50 laps.

"You think we're not?" Gray shot back. Lucy stuck her tongue out at him.

"25 sit-ups!" Scorpio yelled. Everyone groaned while Gray and Natsu cursed under their breaths.

They all sat on the floor and started doing the sit-ups. Erza finished first and Gray, Natsu, and Lucy tied.

"Wow, Luce. You've gotten better with the exercises…" Natsu commented.

Lucy shrugged. "The schools in Rome were…Somewhat more disciplinary." Erza nodded as if she knew, which she did. She did a project on Rome's education system.

Suddenly, the gym's door slammed open. All the students turned their heads to look who it was. It was Aquarius, Scorpio's girlfriend. "Where is Scorpio, you brats?!" Aquarius demanded. They pointed and she went to him.

"Scorpio! I missed you!" Aquarius whined, making the students sweat-drop animatedly. Except Lucy. She didn't know her.

"Students, you can do whatever you want 'til the end of the period," Scorpio announced and started chatting with his girlfriend.

"Are all the teachers here this irresponsible?" Lucy muttered, taking a seat on the floor.

"Lucy, you shouldn't sit on the floor. You are a girl," Erza said disapprovingly.

"Erza, I don't care. I've changed," Lucy told her calmly.

"Okay, Lucy," Erza sighed. Gray and Natsu sat on either side of Lucy as Erza sat on a chair that appeared out of nowhere. The three sweat-dropped.

"What?" Erza glared.

"Eh…Nothing," Gray mumbled. Erza nodded and stopped glaring.

"So, Lucy. What has happened in Rome these past nine years?" Erza asked.

"Well…"

* * *

_Flashback_

_Lucy wouldn't come out of her room for five months unless it was for food, school, or the bathroom. One random day, she came out of her room, but for none of these things. Lucy had finally decided to come out of her room…_

_Lucy was a straight-A student in all grades, even when she was little. When she was eight years old, she began taking defensive lessons-Karate, tae kwon do, kung fu, kendo, and sword-fighting. Years later, when she was in fifth grade, Lucy's mother was discovered to have breast cancer. Lucy was shocked, scared, and sad. Her father did everything in his power to keep her mother alive. Lucy _needed _a mother. She was plugged into something that kept her alive, but her father didn't notice Lucy's suffering. I mean, watching your mother wither and die in front of you is…Traumatizing and sad._

_Lucy then learned how to use guns, bows and arrows, and knives for defense (secretly, of course)._

_In seventh grade, Lucy's father pulled the plug and Layla, Lucy's mother, was…Gone. Just like that. That's when everything started to become worse. Lucy's father became _obsessed _with money. He didn't care about Lucy. He didn't care when he forgot Lucy's thirteenth birthday…And didn't care when she cried tears in front of him._

_Lucy began to change drastically in eighth grade. She wore all black and grey, sometimes dark purple. She wore black leather knuckled gloves, black leather pants, a black short-sleeved shirt, a black leather jacket, and kept her hair down or in a side-ponytail held with a skull-shaped rubber band. She would dress like that every day and her father wouldn't notice-or care in the slightest._

_Lucy was like this during her freshman year in Rome in High School. One day, Lucy was called to her father's office. _

"_Lucy, I am arranging a marriage for you when you turn eighteen years old," Jude had announced._

"_That's not fair! You can't do that, you asshole!" Lucy shouted, not caring what she had said to her father._

"_Yes, I can. I am your father and I have the authority to do-" Her father started to explain._

"_Just because you're my father, it doesn't mean you can control my life," Lucy interrupted furiously. "This is _my_ life, not yours! You are an unfair, stupid, damned father!"_

"_You are my daughter, and you will do as I say! Layla would want this as much as I do," Her father shot at her._

"_Mom would want me to make my own decisions. If she were alive, I swear she'd be on my side and let me make my own decisions! Mon wouldn't want this greedy man!" Lucy screamed. "I bet you're making an arranged marriage to team up with another company and gain more amounts of money. Well, tough luck, bastard! I AM NOT MARRYING SOMEONE I BARELY KNOW AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"_

"_Shut up and go to your room! I have had enough of your nonsense!" _

_Lucy stomped to the exit. She swung it open, and it slammed against the wall. Lucy grabbed the handle when it reflected back to her. "I'm not the one with the fucking nonsense, you are, Jude!" Lucy muttered, but making sure her "so-called father" could hear. Lucy _did not _consider him as a father._

_For the rest of the year, Lucy completely ignored her father, who was caught up in riches. One day, October 13th, Lucy snuck out of her home in Rome. Since her family was rich, she easily bought a plane ticket back to Magnolia, Fiore. Lucy wore her girly clothing._

_On October 12th, Lucy had packed her allowance, which in total added up to 2,000,000 Jewels. She packed the money, her clothing, cell phone (And changed the cell number), laptop, a blanket, her iPod and ear buds, books and story paper, and a pad of drawing paper, colored pencils, and pens and regular pencils. On October 13th, she left Rome on a plane-She didn't want to break her promise she had made to her friends. Lucy was also _very _sure her father wouldn't let her go back to Magnolia, Fiore anyway. _

_End of Flashback_

* * *

"And…I pretty much snuck away," Lucy finished.

Her friends' jaws were dropped. Lucy stared. "What?"

"So, you're telling us that our _kind _Lucy was a badass after she left?!" Gray gawked.

Erza smacked him upside the head and said, "Watch the language!" Gray nodded, holding the bump on his head.

Lucy answered, "Pretty much. If you see me like that, don't ask. It will mean something bad happened." Her best friends nodded.

"Look at that girl…Hanging out with the popular kids when they're practically strangers…" A random girl scoffed behind them.

Lucy's eyes narrowed dangerously while she began to inch her hand towards her sneaker. Lucy started to pull out something shiny. Her friends stared at her quizzically before realizing that the shiny thing was a throwing knife. They jumped on Lucy.

"Get offa me, you fat people! Let me kill her!" Lucy growled, trying to push her friends off. They got off and Lucy got up, beginning to aim her knife before someone grabbed it.

"Hey!" Lucy shouted. She saw that Erza had taken it. "Give it back, Erza! I need it!"

"Then don't throw it," Erza ordered.

"Fine," Lucy grumbled, kicking imaginary dust on the floor. Erza handed her the knife and Lucy put it back in her sneaker.

"I'm just gonna say this one thing…" Lucy mumbled. Lucy walked silently to the back of the girl. "Don't talk about people like you know them, bitch!" Lucy shouted in the girl's ear so loudly, that the girl fell forward.

Lucy smirked triumphantly and laughed inwardly. The bell rang and she automatically raced off to the locker rooms.

"Hey!" Her friends yelled in unison, racing after her. "Wait for us!"

"Never!" Lucy laughed, running faster.


	5. Chapter 5: Lunchtime Drama

Chapter 5: Lunchtime Drama

**Disclaimer:**** I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL!~(sadly)~**

**I suck at updating…XD**

_Previously_

"_Never!" Lucy laughed, running faster._

Normal POV

"You guys are so slow at changing!" Lucy laughed.

"I'm sorry if _someone_ tripped us 6 times," Gray said, looking pointedly at Lucy.

"It was funny and you know it!" Lucy smirked.

Erza was fighting back a smile and failing. She couldn't help but smile at her best friends' antics.

"Let's go to lunch!" Natsu shouted.

"Natsu, I hope you're not that much of a food monster…" Lucy muttered.

"…He's worse than before," Gray stated.

"No! My bento isn't safe!" Lucy said dramatically.

"Stop talking about it like it's a disease!" Natsu complained.

"Then don't eat my bento!" Lucy told him.

"He can't promise you that…" Gray whispered to her.

"Shut up, Ice Princess!" An irk mark appeared on his forehead.

Gray butted heads with him. "Make me, Flame-Brain!"

"Gray, Natsu…Are you two fighting?" Erza suddenly growled, out of her smiling mood.

"N-No! We're best friends!" Natsu stuttered.

"We're just having a friendly conversation. Right, Natsu?" Gray reasoned.

"Good. There is no room for fighting in school," Erza nodded her head and turned around. Gray and Natsu automatically started glaring daggers at each other.

"Let's go to lunch!" Lucy sweat-dropped at the two.

"LUNCH!" Natsu began to zip to the cafeteria.

"Idiot! Wait for us!" Gray yelled at Natsu.

"Leave him be, Gray. He never listens…" Lucy sighed, a smile reaching her face.

"Let's go." Erza began to walk after Natsu.

Once the three got to where Natsu was, Erza hit his head. "No running in the halls! Understand?" Erza roared.

"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Natsu saluted, scared out of his mind.

"Good. You better not do it again. You will get a _worse _punishment." Erza emphasized "worse".

"Okay!" Natsu said.

Lucy and Gray chuckled at him.

"Let's get our lunch," Erza told them, going towards the lunch line.

"I'm going to the vending machine, 'kay Erza?" Lucy informed her friends.

Erza nodded and Gray and Natsu followed her to the lunch line.

Lucy searched for the vending machine and found it. She walked towards it.

Someone stuck out there foot to trip Lucy, but she easily stepped over it. Lucy saw that it was a girl with dark-blue hair. She shrugged and continued her way towards the vending machine.

Once she got there, she put in the money. She pressed the button for a fruit punch. It came out of the slot and Lucy grabbed it. When she turned, she saw the same girl who tried to trip her.

"Can I help you?" Lucy asked, annoyed.

"Yes. Stay away from Gray-sama, love rival," The girl ordered her.

"You don't have the right to tell me whether or not to stay away from a friend," Lucy snapped harshly.

"What do you mean your friend? You only met Gray-sama today." She took a step closer to Lucy, who only stood there, not at all intimidated.

"What're you? A stalker?" Lucy smirked.

"Juvia is not a stalker! Juvia only watches over Gray-sama to protect him from people who will steal our love!" Juvia screeched. She took another step towards Lucy.

"What love? All I see is a fan girl trying to keep me away from my best friend," Lucy said, getting irritated.

"You have no right to call Gray-sama your best friend. You've only met him today," Juvia repeated. She took her third step towards Lucy.

"And _you _shouldn't talk like you know everything about me _or _him," Lucy shot back. "And I really have no time for this."

"Stay away from Gray-sama, love rival. Juvia _can _make your miserable," Juvia threatened.

"You can't tell me what not to do and by doing what?" Lucy asked.

"Many ways," Juvia lips curled into a grin as she took a fourth step towards Lucy.

"I've dealt with worse. Bye." Lucy began to go around Juvia.

Juvia grabbed Lucy's wrist. "Don't walk away from Juvia!"

"Let go of Lucy, Juvia," A voice growled. It was Natsu.

"Juvia is not frightened of you," Juvia said, tightening her grip on Lucy.

"You are _seriously _making me pissed off," Lucy mumbled. "Let go of me, lady!"

"Why should Juvia listen to you?" Juvia narrowed her eyes.

Lucy saw Erza and Gray coming their way. "Because I said so." Lucy dropped her drink purposely. Lucy used her other hand and twisted Juvia's hand off her wrist. Lucy ended up flipping Juvia onto the floor. A groan came from Juvia as Lucy bent down to pick up her drink.

"What happened here?!" Erza asked when Gray and Erza arrived.

"One of Gray's crazy fan girls was harassing me," Lucy spat.

"Juvia?" Gray asked.

"Yeah. Her," Lucy replied.

"Juvia Lockser. Come with me to Principal Makarov's office," Erza said. She dragged Juvia on the floor to Makarov's office, Lucy, Gray, and Natsu watching her go. Erza showed no sign of guilt from dragging Juvia on the _filthy _floor.

"That girl was annoying…" Lucy kicked imaginary dirt on the floor.

"Sorry, Luce! I didn't think she'd do that. Otherwise, I would've came with you here," Gray apologized.

"It's fine, Gray. I can take care of myself," Lucy rolled her eyes. Gray let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's go eat lunch." Lucy began dragging Gray and Natsu to a lunch table.

"We can walk!" Gray and Natsu complained.

"Too bad!" Lucy told them.

_Well, that was enough drama for one day…_

**Done! ^_^ **

**R &amp; R! And don't forget to vote! There's a poll on my profile! Ja'ne!**


	6. Chapter 6: Up The Steps, Into Class

Chapter 6: Up The Steps, Into Class

**Disclaimer****: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL! ~(sadly)~**

* * *

**Well...This was an amazingly late update...Sorry? **

* * *

_Previously_

_Well, that was enough drama for one day…_

* * *

Normal POV

After lunch, Lucy had cooled down, but Erza was still furious at Juvia. Gray and Natsu were impressed at what they'd seen Lucy do. Gray, though being impressed, he still felt guilty and wanted to find a way to repay her. For now, he'd think about that at home.

"I am going to _kill_ Juvia," Erza growled murderously as the four climbed up the stairs to their next class.

Lucy chuckled nervously. "Um...It's alright. I'm okay, right?" she tried to convince her friend.

Erza sighed. "I guess so..." Then her voice hardened. "But if she does something like that again, I will have her head!"

Lucy looked at the red-haired teen beside her. "Um...Yeah. You go do that..."

"What's our next class?" Natsu asked.

Erza hit his head. "Fool! You should have memorized your schedule by now!"

Gray silently thanked his lucky stars for not being the one to speak. He hadn't memorized his schedule yet either. Realizing something, he laughed to himself mentally. The flame-brained idiot got hit by Erza.

Natsu rubbed his head in an attempt to soothe his "wound". Erza marched up the steps saying, "Follow me."

Natsu walked up next to Lucy. The blond patted the pink-haired boy on the back in an attempt to sympathize with him. She couldn't really sympathize with him, for she was never hit by Erza.

Still, Natsu muttered, "Thank you..." and continued up the steps.

Lucy looked behind her and saw Gray being...Well, Gray. "Why're you so silent, Gray-chan~?" she asked him, poking his cheek.

The raven-haired boy flushed slightly at the nickname and turned his head away. "D-Don't call me that. It's weird..."

Lucy smirked at him. "Your face says otherwise, Gray-chan~" she sing-songed. The light hue on his cheeks darkened a bit. Secretly, she thought the blush on his face was adorable. It was just not Gray, making it cuter.

Gray replied with an embarrassed scoff and stared at the steps they were descending. They walked up the steps, Erza not too far ahead, and silence enveloped them.

"...Well...What class is next?" Lucy tried to break the ice.

"Chemistry class." Erza was the one to provide an answer.

_Chemistry_...That one word ran through Gray's head as he looked at Lucy. He flushed again. The now pink-faced teen mentally slapped himself._Stop being so flustered by your thoughts, Fullbuster!_

Suddenly, he was pulled out of his thoughts as someone pulled his arm. "Gray-chan~" It was Lucy. "You almost head-butted a wall. Stop spacing out, baka."

The said boy only stuck out his tongue at her playfully. The blond did the same and dragged him along as she followed after Erza.

Natsu and Erza waited for them in front of the chemistry classroom. When the two arrived, Erza directed her eyes to Lucy. "This...Is the chemistry classroom." The door flew open and the sight before Lucy made her eyes widen.

"Gajeel Redfox?!" she exclaimed.

The boy with black hair and piercings looked to where the voice came from. "Ah. I see. What's up, Bunny Girl?"

Lucy's eye twitched at the nickname. "That's it. I'm gonna kill you." She started to take a running step towards him. Her friends ended up holding her back.

"Gehe."

* * *

**Sorry about the short chapter! R &amp; R!**

**And vote who Lucy shall end up with a review or the poll on my profile! Ja'ne!**


	7. Chapter 7: Gajeel Redfox

Chapter 7: Gajeel Redfox

**Disclaimer****: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL! ~(sadly)~**

* * *

**Okay...I really have no reason to have updated this late, except laziness. I'm really sorry that I waited this long to update, but...I cannot guarantee it won't happen again, so I'm sorry for that.**

* * *

_Previously_

_Lucy's eye twitched at the nickname. "That's it. I'm gonna kill you." She started to take a running step towards him and her friends ended up holding her back._

_"Gehe."_

* * *

Normal POV

"You are so god damn annoying!" Lucy growled at the black-haired idiot, which was how she described him inwardly.

He rolled his eyes. "I've heard you say that a million times before and, once again, I don't give a shit."

"Watch your language!" Erza smacked him upside the head.

Poor boy gulped and nodded, making the blonde burst into laughter.

"So! You found someone you couldn't take, eh, Gajeel?" she snickered.

The teen glared at her with his red eyes. "Shut the fuck up, Heartfilia." That earned him a punch to the head from our favorite red-head.

"What did I say about cursing, Gajeel?!" the scarlet-haired girl scolded him. Gajeel rubbed his sore head.

"I'm sorry!" he grumbled unhappily.

Gray and Natsu flailed their arms in front of themselves. "Waaaait a damn second! You know each other?! How?!" they asked simultaneously. They glared at each other. "Stop copying me! No,_ you _stop!" they both shouted and began to fight.

Erza thumped their heads and sighed in irritation. "Stop fighting for one minute, idiots!"

Tears traveled down their cheeks in pain and fear. "Aye, Sir!"

"I know him because he used to live in Rome," Lucy answered.

Gajeel frowned. "And what a big mistake that was. I met a demon with blond hair and brown eyes."

Lucy punched the side of his head,making him fall to the floor. "Urusai!"

Gray smirked. Gajeel was getting hit more than usual. Everyone could tell that Natsu and Gray were ecstatic to see him being hit.

"Okay. So the third or fourth year I was in Rome, I met him. He was playing basketball as I was passing by, exploring. His freaking basketball bounced off the backboard and went straight at me. I caught it, he ran over, and challenged me to a game. It was a tie.

"He forced me to play on the school team. We won almost every game except the championships. It was his fault, I recall, and a month after that, he moved away. And I thought we were friends," Lucy explained, saying the last sentence sarcastically.

"Shut up," Gajeel stated.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Advance your vpcabulary. All you ever say is 'shut up'."

"I am this close to killing you," he growled.

The blonde shrugged. "That's my line."

They stared at each other in annoyance, then smirked. "I challenge you to a basketball match!" they yelled at each other in unison.

"You're on," the red-eyed teen accepted. Erza, Natsu, and Gray were staring at them, as if watching the Gajeel/Lucy show.

"Uh..."

"C'mon. Show me where you guys sit," Lucy requested.

They walked, confused by their conversation, to the back of the room.

"Another thing: I know I'm great, but can you guys stop _hitting on me_?" Gajeel asked, smirking. The group of four groaned.

"That is the stupidest pick-up line in the universe!" Lucy yelled.


End file.
